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Last night, thanks to the NDP, an emergency debate was held to urgently address the crisis facing Laurentian University. MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay), was joined by fellow NDP MPs to push the Liberal government into taking credible steps to help the fight to save Laurentian.
“For everyone in Northern Ontario, this university is an important symbol, especially for french speaking students, for Indigenous students and for young English speaking students from many different towns in Northern Ontario,” said Angus. “Laurentian made it possible for people from this region to access post-secondary education. Without it, young people will be forced to leave our communities or forfeit their education altogether.”
On Monday, Laurentian University announced that they would be cutting over 60 of their programs, including key ones such as midwifery, French studies and economics, and that they are firing more than a hundred members of their faculty. The university that has given generations of francophones, Indigenous and working-class youth access to quality education is being ripped apart and it will have devastating impacts in Northern Ontario.
“The Liberals, including the MP who represents Sudbury, had been totally silent on this issue until they were forced to address it in last night’s debate. They have proven that they do not care about Northern Ontario,” added Angus. “The people of Northern Ontario deserve so much better. Neither the Conservative provincial government nor the federal Liberal government seem to care that the destruction of Laurentian University will have devastating impacts on the region for generations.”
Earlier this week, New Democrats wrote a letter to Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, to ensure that the University of Sudbury’s transformation into an autonomous French-language educational institution is adequately funded. So far, the Liberals have not answered these calls to save the university. Instead they have been passing the buck to the province.
